Meal Prep Monday: Enchilova Casserole

I have this ridiculous habit of impromptu singing and lyric improvisation when I am ridiculously happy. I have also been known to create really cheesy titles for recipes I really love.

And this enchilada casserole might be the cheesiest of all. And I love it.

When the fiancé requested enchiladas for dinner this week, I convinced him that an enchilada casserole was a better idea for me. Why? I prefer corn tortillas to flour ones, and corn tortillas are hard to roll without breaking them open. I could gently warm them up and all that–if I had vacation time and the patience of my grandmother. I don’t, so the layering of corn tortillas in this recipe I developed saves me time + white enriched flour.

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups red enchilada sauce

12 corn tortillas, halved with a pizza cutter

25+ tortilla chips (I used Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Tortilla Chips)

1 (15 ounce) can of black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

1 (2 ounce) can of diced green chiles

6 scallions (green onions), thinly sliced

1.2 pounds ground turkey meat

3 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese

optional: 1/2 cup loosely-packed chopped fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 9×13-inch baking dish by covering the bottom lightly with enchilada sauce, just enough to cover the bottom with a skim layer.

If you haven’t already, halve your corn tortillas with the pizza cutter. You could also cut the halves into triangles for more coverage, but I’ll leave that up to you. Lay corn tortillas down to cover the bottom of the dish.

Begin browning the turkey meat on the stove. You’ll notice I added in a few mushrooms and a few pieces of kale. Couldn’t help myself from healthying it up a bit more.

Use a colander to strain the beans, corn, and green chiles. When the meat is finished browning and has been strained, mix the canned vegetables and the meat into one bowl. Add a few tablespoons of the enchilada sauce in and mix well.

Returning to the dish, sprinkle the first layer of tortillas with about half of the meat-veggie mixture. Lay tortilla chips evenly on top of the mix. Layer the chip layer with 1.5 cups of shredded cheese. Pop in that warmed oven for a five minutes or until cheese is melted.

Remove from oven and spoon the remaining meat-veggie mixture on top of the melted cheese. Evenly layer the remaining corn tortilla halves. Smother those with enchilada sauce until well covered but not swimming in sauce. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the sauce. Return to oven for about 10 more minutes or until top layer of cheese is melted.

Remove from oven and garnish with onions or cilantro. I added a few tortilla strips sliced with the pizza cutter, just for fun. Serve warm with your fav Tex-Mex sides.